PA and Secretary Community - Deskdemon.com

How techy is your office?  Do you use smart phones for work (I think we have covered that).  Do people use ipad/tables?  Do you still have a fax machine or is it all online?  Let's not forget VOIP!  Does your office have a traditional phone system or voip with all the bells and whistles that come with voip?  Do you have techy tools like the echo pen?  What other techy things am I forgetting!  Let us know!

Trialling iPads with five of us, me included.  Others have the 3G version, I have wifi only. Early days so will say more once we have used for a few meetings.

We have a mix. Most employees can have smart phones if they want one. Most are still using laptops, though a few have gotten ipads. We are using voip.

Our high technology is really on the science side, since that's our business. ;)

As with Marie, we have a mix of things.  Everyone has smart phones, some have ipads, a few stick to trusty laptops,  we have voip, video-conferencing and smartboards in our meeting rooms.  We do have a fax machine, which is mainly used for incoming faxes from some of our international contacts in places where it is still a trek even to find a fax machine. 

All the bosses have blackberries and laptops and the latest gadgets but still are at times impossible to get hold of out of the office  >:(

In the actual office we have a fax machine which is very rarely used.  In fact, the only time it is used is when solicitors want to send something over - they seem not to like using email that much.  They also like us to fax documents to them.  In this day and age I find this strange but wonder if there is a reason for it?  They do at times send things on email but this is usually their 2nd choice.

We are also in a trial phase for tablets and iPads for certain applications.  Laptops are fairly standard, even for the admins.  We are even in the process of creating some application releated to our business.

Most above a certain level have their own smart phones and iPads and have work linked to them or access via webmail etc.  It's only been recently that iPhones were allowed into our system because we didn't have a way to disconnect if necessary, i.e. terminate an employee. 

Our phone system is over 20 years old and frankly I'm afraid of that phone board.  It's rolled into night funtion if some of us have to cover for lunch and we basically answer a desk phone rather than receiptionist.  This system covers three states and multiple locations as well as corporate and won't be changed any time soon.

As for programs, the comapny has basics and if you can get approved will upgrade for example I'm one of the few who made an early move to 2010. So the basic answer is our company techy - it depends on the person.

We will mainly be using iPads (for now) for internal meetings, to avoid the need for printing papers.  I've been given Acrobat Pro to enable us to combine all files into one PDF.  Issued first set of papers yesterday this way (for a meeting tomorrow) then was told this morning that one major file had been updated.  So I've now learned how to remove and add in pages to the PDF.  How easy it is!

Whether or not everyone will find it easy to read their papers this way is another matter, tomorrow will tell and I'm expecting a few rattles to be thrown out of the pram!

Update to follow!

Not techy at all, really.  But it's part of the business, really.  We are just now getting scanners so that papers can be scanned in and our files made electronic instead of volumes of papers.  We have the PC's, but standard phones, faxes, etc. and are not allowed to use laptops or phones for work-related purposes (with a few exceptions on the laptops).  We can't even transfer data using a thumb drive, but have to ensure we have access to the shared network drive for that purpose!  But it's all part and parcel with the security here, so we just sigh over it and press on.  :)

We are getting there, laptops are standard now.  IPhones are issued to upper level execs.  I pads at their own expense.  I look for that to change in the near future and hope to have a company issued devise in a year.  Blackberries are still issued.  With technology services evolving we are stepping up and improving our technology.cc

Our office has been without phones for a day now - no incoming nor outgoing calls possible on the landlines.  Watch how everyone (substitute this for boss people) panic.  Here they are with their laptops, blackberries, mobiles and yet they act as if their right arm has been cut off.  Several of them sat for ages ringing their contacts on their mobiles telling them that their mobile was the only way to contact them - so anyone else trying to get through, couldn't. Quite amusing really, for a Friday  ::)

I think it is because what is always there is suddenly not and in their mind, they are missing out.

I on the other hand have enjoyed a quiet(ish) day because of this.

I use my iphone for work, an Ipad on trips, we use web conferencing, have my live scribe pen, use voip for our phones, we are getting a white board that prints out what is written, yes we are pretty techy.

Smartphones, Laptops, both Faxing (hard-line and online), network security box, WiFi, scan to e-mail, various online video conferencing, phone conferencing, instant messaging,